Grid casting machine



Dee. 16, A1941. A, C, YERKEY 2,266,138

GRID CASTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1939 Z I'SGSIGM l Zz C 28 2.3 2

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GAS Henn-ns a 38 Patented Dec. 16, 1941 i UNITED. STATES PAT aan) CASTING MACHINE rAlvy C. erkey, Maywood, Ill. Application November 3, 1939, serial No. 302,791 l2 claims.. o1. 22.-57-1 This invention relates to a grid casting machine and is particularly useful in the forming of storage battery grids and like grids.

An object of the invention is to provide a greatly simplified structurek whereby grids may be expeditiously and accurately formed, automatic means foropening and closing the grid molds being provided. A further object is to provide a grid forming machine equipped with a rotatable mold supporting platform, means being provided for heating the molds and for reciprocating them in the grid forming operation. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specication proceeds.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which- I Figure l is a plan view of a grid forming machine embodying my invention, the greater portion of the top part of the machine being broken away; and Fig. 2, a transverse sectional View taken substantially along the central line of the machine.

In the illustration given, A designates a base equipped with a cam track A; B, a rotatable platform carried upon said base; and C, grid forming molds carried by said platform.

The base A may be of any suitable construction. In the illustration given, it is provided with legs Ill, a main supporting body II, and a central shaft I2. Suspended below the bed II on one side is a motor I3 driving a pulley I4. The pulley I4 drives through a reducing mechanism contained within the housing I5 a shaft IB which carries at its upper end a pinion I1.

Ihe cam track A is formed integrally with the bed II of base A and it is so shaped as to eiect movement of the mold operating devices, as will be later described.

The platform B may also be of any suitable construction. It is carried upon a large gear member I8 which meshes with pinion I1.

Above the gear I8 is a platform member I9 equipped with a hub. It will be noted that this hub together with the central portion of gear I8 are aligned with the hollow shaft I2 of the base and all are rotatably connected by a central shaft 20.

The platform B also provides at its upper portion, bracket supports 2l which carry the molds C.

The molds C are of well known construction and need not be described in detail. The outer mold portion 22 may, if desired, be stationary. The inner mold portion 23 is mounted for movement toward the member 22. Since the internal structure of the molds and their operation are well known, no further detailed description 'will be given* herein. y

The mechanism `,for moving the inner-mold part 23 will now be described. Themold part 23 is provided at its rear with two spaced'ears 24 receiving. between Vthem a bar supporting member 25,V the parts .being'lconnected by-a' vpivot pin. The bar 25 extends rearwardly and'is pro.- `videdat itsV rear end with av stop nut 25.1 A sleeve 21 is slidably mounted von Athe shankpor.- tion of the rod 25, and a spring 28 normally urges the Vsleeve 21 toward 'the nut 23'. Pivotal-ly secured to the sleeve 2.1.is `a crank arm 23 pivotally kcarried upon the bracket `3rlxed .to .and extending through an opening in the platform B. The pivot pin is indicated by the numeral 3|. The lower end of the crank'arm 29;.isprhvided lwith a rollerv 32 which is received within'the cam track A.

In order to supply gas to the molds, I provide a central gas line 33 which extends into a bracket cage 34. In the cage 34, it is connected by a ball joint connection 35 to a pipe 36. Pipe 33 is fixed at its upper end to a head 31 carried by the rotatable platform B. Thus the upper pipe 36 rotates while the lower pipe 33 does not, a gas pipe connection being provided between the two by the ball joint 35. Leading from the top manifold 31 are gas pipes 38 leading to the various molds, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1.

Operation In the operation of the device, the motor I3 drives the pulley I 4. which through gear and worm reducers drives the vertical shaft i3. rEhe pinion I1 carried by shaft I6 causes a rotation of the large gear I8. Bythis movement, the upper platform B is caused to rotate upon base A.

As the platform rotates, each of the molds is filled, one at a time, by suitable molten metal pouring devices, which are wellknown in the art and which are not herein described. For the filling operation, the particular mold brought next to the filling device is held in closed position, the cam trackway A' pushing the lower end of the crank arm 29 to the position shown at the left in Fig. 2. After the filling operation, the platform B continues to rotate and the cam track A' swings the crank arm 29 to a position such as illustrated at the right of Fig. 2, in which position the grid is free to drop from the'mold and on to a suitable slide or conveyor (not shown).

With the structure shown, it will be noted that the timing is maintained by means of a single the platform and being movable longitudinally camway A', and the crank arms which engage towards and away from the central portion of the cam serve not only as a means for opening the platform, means for preventing lateral horiand closing the grids, but for steadying and supzontal movement of said arms while permitting porting the upper platform upon the base A. 5 vertical movement thereof, and a plurality of le- The structure is extremely simple, but highly vers pivotally mounted on the platform and havefficient in timing the operations and in the low ing their lower ends engaging the cam track, said expenditure of power. The crank arms engaging levers having their upper ends connected to the the movable parts of the molds follow surely the free ends of said arms whereby rotation of the trackway while at the same time serving to steady l0 platform and the resulting movement of the the platform upon the base. r lower ends of the levers in the Cam tracks causes The spring 28 permits relative movement bethe arms to move longitudinally and the inner tween the crank arm 29 and the mold 23, thereby portions of the molds to be drawn towards and preventing injury to the parts. away from the outer portions thereof.

It will be noted that the mold 23 ispivotalli7 15 2. In a grid casting machine of the character mounted so that it may be swung to a raisedset forth, a base equipped with a cam track, a position for inspection or for removal. motor carried by said base, a platform rotatably W'hle in the foregoing description, I have Set mounted on said base and having its periphery forth certain details, it will be understood that extending beyond said cam track, means driven such details in construction and operation may by said motor for rotating said platform, spaced be Vwidely departed from by those skilled in the molds carried by said platform and comprising art While still using the spirit of my invention. fixed outer portions on the outer periphery of the I wish it to be understood that I donot desire platform and movable inner portions on the into be limited to the exact details of construction ner side of the fixed portions, a plurality of arms shown and described, forrobvious modifications radially disposed with respect to said platform, willoccur to aperson skilled in the art. each of said arms being pivotally attached at one I Claim: o Y end to the inner portion of one of the molds to 1. VIn a grid casting machine of the character tltably Support 171165211116, a plurality 0f leVeTS Set forthy a base equipped Ywith a @am traoky a pivotally mounted on the platform intermediate motor carried by said base, a platform rotatably 30 the center and peripheral portions thereof and mounted on said base, means driven by said mohaving their lower ends extending downwardly tor for rotating said platform, spaced lmolds car into engagement with the cam track whereby the red by the platform and comprising xedouter levers furnish support for a portion of the platportons on the outer periphery of the platform form, a sleeve slidably mounted on each of said and movable inner portions `on the inner Side arms, each sleeve being pivotally secured to the of said xed portions, aplurality of arms secured upper end 0f one 0f Said levers and Spring means to said molds, each ofsaid arms being pivotally for Providing a' yielding engagement between attached at one end to the inner portion of a each of the arms and the lever secured to the mold to tiltably support the same, said arms ex- Sleeve thereon tending inwardly towards the central portion of "10 Y ALVY C. YERKEY. 

